Tribute to the Best English Teacher--Ever

My favorite high school teacher, Miss Beckwith, is retiring this year. Her niece, and other students, have reached out to her former students to write something about her that they can include in a book for her. This is what I wrote. I'm posting it here more as a journal entry than anything. 

But, if there was anyone in your youth that profoundly had an influence on you, who was it and how did they influence you? I would love to hear anyone who reads this comment about that.

Miss Beckwith was, by far, the most influential teacher I had in High School. 

Even though I already enjoyed reading, she really opened my eyes to literature. She encouraged us to read classical novels, short stories, poetry, and drama. Several reading assignments I had in college were a lot easier, since I had already read the story, poem, or book in high school. I still love a good book...and more than just the cookie-cutter intense/action stuff that frequently makes the best seller lists. (Boring.)

Miss Beckwith encouraged me to become the English Sterling Scholar for the 1996/1997 school year. I learned much and grew a lot from that experience. She also helped me as a Sterling Scholar by encouraging me to write for the MoDel and setting me up with other writing experiences that I still remember. I loved taking B&W pictures with those SLR cameras. Learning how to develop film was really fun. I also felt like I was doing a service for the community with my articles. One of my beats that year was wrestling. I received a few compliments from Delta Wrestling followers about the articles that were published in the local paper. And I still remember writing an article about a controversial topic that involved the principal and a teacher. Those experiences gave me the courage I needed when I wrote for the Daily Universe, the BYU school newspaper, several years later.

Although I left high school with the desire to become an accountant, I later changed my mind when I discovered the major ofPublic Relations. That major combined elements of learning that I had grown to love:  English, communications, and business.

Now, I wish I could say that I've become a highly successful PR director of a major company, or something like that. But most of what I write now ends up on my blog, in a scrapbook, or on a craft project for my boys. Most of my reading happens in 5-10 minute increments, on the couch, with a little boy on each side and my baby girl crawling around on the floor below us. I've discovered wonderful children's books and authors that my kids love.

Thank you, Miss Beckwith, for being such a great English teacher. I will always be grateful for what I learned in your classes.